Comparison of three phones and why I ended up with the S23 Ultra
When I look at a smartphone, it has to do several things for me and do them well. For that reason I will likely always get a flagship device. Keep in mind these are my reasons and opinions. I expect people will have very different or even similar thoughts.
The last devices I have used :
iPhone 11 ProMax (gifted)
OnePlus 9 Pro (gifted)
iPhone 12 ProMax (trade in on 13PM)
OnePlus 10 Pro
iPhone 13 ProMax
Galaxy S23 Ultra
I skipped the 14PM as I have a need for a SIM slot (travel).
The things I looks for are:
Ergonomics
Apps that I use
Battery and Charging
Flexibility
Photos
Video
Call quality
Connectivity
Default settings (including apps)
Security
Let’s break these out a bit.
Ergonomics
How the device feels in hand for quick use, long use, and how it feels in pocket.
The 10P is the lightest device, easy to hold and feels great in hand. Sits great in the pocket, front, back, or jacket. The edges are very sensitive to touch and even a small touch will light up the fingerprint sensor - it is a mini flashlight.
The 13PM is the heaviest device, easy to hold short term but uncomfortable long term due to the sharp edges. Sites great in the back or jacket pocket but not the most comfortable in the front. The steel sides make this device slippery.
The S23U is middle in terms of weight but closer to the 13PM, easy to hold and feels great in hand. Sits great in the pocket, front, back, or jacket. It is the most comfortable for long term holding in hand. The bottom edge of the camera sits just right for my finger when holding and helps support holding it.
X - for me the S23U is the winner.
Apps that I use
I have to break this into two groups; heavy apps and personal use apps.
Battery and Charging
Until recently I have been spoiled using the 13PM. Battery is just crazy good. It has only been recently that Android has for the most part caught up in battery life. That leads us then to charging. The 10P is crazy good. It may have the worst SOT (about 2/3 of the 13PM) of the three but can go from 0% - 100% in under an hour. Call it sip-charging from a firehouse. Crazy fast. The S23U is kind of in the middle; it has the battery life like the 13PM and slightly faster than the 13PM for charging but slower than the 10P. Wish all three had super fast charging.
X - For everyday use the 10P wins. Except for long trips then it is the S23U over the 13PM by virtue of charging speeds.
Flexibility
This is more of a general use category - can I go from watching video to music to work to games to goofing around with no issues. Can I slap in a widget or new icons, swap wallpaper, interpret notifications, and get alerts. All three of these devices can do this, some better than others. I’ll break some of down;
Photos
Talk about subjectivity! All three devices take decent to great photos. I look at this from a little bit different of an angle. Can I take a quick snapshot with minimal effort? Can I do telephoto to read a sign or see detail blocks away? Can I take a good shot no matter the lighting? Can I share these photos easily?
Video
I really expected the 13PM to be the king here when it comes to video. They have been doing so good for so long. Apple does it well. When I look at the S23U though, it turned out it is pretty much on par with the 13PM. That was a surprise. I am not looking for the next blockbuster or super YouTube vid. Just video of things I find interesting or need for work.
X - call it a tie between the 13PM and S23U
Call Quality
This one is of extreme importance to me and goes beyond the standard phone call. Video call, IM calls, VOI calls, call while doing an interactive Teams session. Has to have good speakerphone and headphone capability. Surprise surprise, they all do a good job at this. Whether I am here in the US or overseas traveling, I can get the job done and done well. I don’t do FaceTime as it is not used outside the US much and my family/friends are a mix of devices.
X - call it an across the board tie.
Connectivity
This is an area where I can get frustrated really quickly. Going from WiFi (5, 6, 6e) at home to 5G and LTE when out to WiFi at my destination (maybe) and back again. It just has to work. Nothing is more irritating than trying to get a call to connect to getting data to work or having it stop mid stream because you switched from one to another.
The only area here where I have had issues has been with the 13PM. All too often it just refuses to properly connect to WiFi when I come back home or it just randomly stops when everything else I have is working just fine. A quick reboot (another pet peeve) usually fixes it or sometimes Airplane mode off/on will do the trick.
X - Call it a win for the 10P and S23U.
Default Settings Including Apps
When I first setup the device or after an update, how much additional work do I have to put in to get it to where I want it? When an app is installed or updated how much additional work do I need to do? All these devices have a feast/famine design. The 13PM was easier at first setup but it can be hard to find some of the settings. Not so much hidden (that happens) rather being able to tell just what it is the setting actually does. Once everything is to my liking, Android is easier to maintain. Then there are the apps. Both design have some work however iOS has it split between Settings and the Apps. If it is in both areas, Android is easier to swap back and forth. Usually. Different flavors of Android (OEM) can have the settings changed by location, design, and access)
X - Call it a tie for all. Each requires a bit of specific learning.
Security
This has always been an issue for me. Both have issues and Apple is not as secure as they would like us to believe. For all devices and OS’s, you need to take the time and invest in your personal security. After the latest PIN code alert regarding the iPhone, it was quickly apparent that Android also suffers from many of the same issue just not to the severity iOS does. Be advised both have password issues; Android via Chrome if you use it and Apple has keychain. Recommend a third party password manager.
X - Call it a win for the S23U due in no small part to the Secure Folder functionality it has. Apple has nothing like it at the moment and looking for something like it on the 10P - will likely have to side-load something if something good exists.
Here are some additional items I have run into using these devices:
I will update this as I find additional items or my views change. IMO all of these devices are top rate and would work well for anyone. When it came to a choice, the S23 Ultra is the winner for me.
Comment as you will.
Remember these are my views and opinions.
When I look at a smartphone, it has to do several things for me and do them well. For that reason I will likely always get a flagship device. Keep in mind these are my reasons and opinions. I expect people will have very different or even similar thoughts.
The last devices I have used :
iPhone 11 ProMax (gifted)
OnePlus 9 Pro (gifted)
iPhone 12 ProMax (trade in on 13PM)
OnePlus 10 Pro
iPhone 13 ProMax
Galaxy S23 Ultra
I skipped the 14PM as I have a need for a SIM slot (travel).
The things I looks for are:
Ergonomics
Apps that I use
Battery and Charging
Flexibility
Photos
Video
Call quality
Connectivity
Default settings (including apps)
Security
Let’s break these out a bit.
Ergonomics
How the device feels in hand for quick use, long use, and how it feels in pocket.
The 10P is the lightest device, easy to hold and feels great in hand. Sits great in the pocket, front, back, or jacket. The edges are very sensitive to touch and even a small touch will light up the fingerprint sensor - it is a mini flashlight.
The 13PM is the heaviest device, easy to hold short term but uncomfortable long term due to the sharp edges. Sites great in the back or jacket pocket but not the most comfortable in the front. The steel sides make this device slippery.
The S23U is middle in terms of weight but closer to the 13PM, easy to hold and feels great in hand. Sits great in the pocket, front, back, or jacket. It is the most comfortable for long term holding in hand. The bottom edge of the camera sits just right for my finger when holding and helps support holding it.
X - for me the S23U is the winner.
Apps that I use
I have to break this into two groups; heavy apps and personal use apps.
- Heavy apps are things like an Office suite, pdf editor, first pass photo editor, financial apps, and password manager. Both the App Store and Play Store have what I need and use. All three devices run these with no real issues. For this the OS has no real impact.
- Personal apps are pretty much everything else. Games, hobby apps, reading, shopping and more. Both the App Store and Play Store have what I need and use. All three devices run these with no real issues. The only real difference is there are a few apps that I can get on Android that I cannot get on iOS as these sit outside of the default stores. Have to give the edge to Android. These are some nice to have personal apps.
Battery and Charging
Until recently I have been spoiled using the 13PM. Battery is just crazy good. It has only been recently that Android has for the most part caught up in battery life. That leads us then to charging. The 10P is crazy good. It may have the worst SOT (about 2/3 of the 13PM) of the three but can go from 0% - 100% in under an hour. Call it sip-charging from a firehouse. Crazy fast. The S23U is kind of in the middle; it has the battery life like the 13PM and slightly faster than the 13PM for charging but slower than the 10P. Wish all three had super fast charging.
X - For everyday use the 10P wins. Except for long trips then it is the S23U over the 13PM by virtue of charging speeds.
Flexibility
This is more of a general use category - can I go from watching video to music to work to games to goofing around with no issues. Can I slap in a widget or new icons, swap wallpaper, interpret notifications, and get alerts. All three of these devices can do this, some better than others. I’ll break some of down;
- Notifications are best handled for usability in Android. Both the 10P and S23U do a great job of notifying me at the levels of detail I want. It is consistent and just works. Now the 13PM has gotten better and makes some of it look pretty. Still not on par from a usability aspect.
- Wallpaper is so easy to swap and adjust on the fly on Android. Apple needs to take a step back.
- Widgets are a mix in terms of assigning but iOS needs to make things a lot less static where desired.
- Swapping from work to games to other. All three devices do it equally well. I seldom have an issue going from Excel to FF or whatever app I want to use.
- App selection is an area that iOS really needs to rethink. For me the App Library is useless for two reasons; it is at the end of the swipe and you cannot make alphabetic the default. Apple really needs to rethink this from an ease of use aspect.
Photos
Talk about subjectivity! All three devices take decent to great photos. I look at this from a little bit different of an angle. Can I take a quick snapshot with minimal effort? Can I do telephoto to read a sign or see detail blocks away? Can I take a good shot no matter the lighting? Can I share these photos easily?
- Can they take a quick snapshot? Yes to all three.
- Can they do the level of telephoto I want? Only the S23U. That is sadly surprising.
- Can I take a good shot no matter the lighting? Only on the 13PM and S23U. The 10P continue to improve but with the 11 out those have kind of dried up.
Video
I really expected the 13PM to be the king here when it comes to video. They have been doing so good for so long. Apple does it well. When I look at the S23U though, it turned out it is pretty much on par with the 13PM. That was a surprise. I am not looking for the next blockbuster or super YouTube vid. Just video of things I find interesting or need for work.
X - call it a tie between the 13PM and S23U
Call Quality
This one is of extreme importance to me and goes beyond the standard phone call. Video call, IM calls, VOI calls, call while doing an interactive Teams session. Has to have good speakerphone and headphone capability. Surprise surprise, they all do a good job at this. Whether I am here in the US or overseas traveling, I can get the job done and done well. I don’t do FaceTime as it is not used outside the US much and my family/friends are a mix of devices.
X - call it an across the board tie.
Connectivity
This is an area where I can get frustrated really quickly. Going from WiFi (5, 6, 6e) at home to 5G and LTE when out to WiFi at my destination (maybe) and back again. It just has to work. Nothing is more irritating than trying to get a call to connect to getting data to work or having it stop mid stream because you switched from one to another.
The only area here where I have had issues has been with the 13PM. All too often it just refuses to properly connect to WiFi when I come back home or it just randomly stops when everything else I have is working just fine. A quick reboot (another pet peeve) usually fixes it or sometimes Airplane mode off/on will do the trick.
X - Call it a win for the 10P and S23U.
Default Settings Including Apps
When I first setup the device or after an update, how much additional work do I have to put in to get it to where I want it? When an app is installed or updated how much additional work do I need to do? All these devices have a feast/famine design. The 13PM was easier at first setup but it can be hard to find some of the settings. Not so much hidden (that happens) rather being able to tell just what it is the setting actually does. Once everything is to my liking, Android is easier to maintain. Then there are the apps. Both design have some work however iOS has it split between Settings and the Apps. If it is in both areas, Android is easier to swap back and forth. Usually. Different flavors of Android (OEM) can have the settings changed by location, design, and access)
X - Call it a tie for all. Each requires a bit of specific learning.
Security
This has always been an issue for me. Both have issues and Apple is not as secure as they would like us to believe. For all devices and OS’s, you need to take the time and invest in your personal security. After the latest PIN code alert regarding the iPhone, it was quickly apparent that Android also suffers from many of the same issue just not to the severity iOS does. Be advised both have password issues; Android via Chrome if you use it and Apple has keychain. Recommend a third party password manager.
X - Call it a win for the S23U due in no small part to the Secure Folder functionality it has. Apple has nothing like it at the moment and looking for something like it on the 10P - will likely have to side-load something if something good exists.
Here are some additional items I have run into using these devices:
- Have to reboot the iPhone way too much to fix small issues. 2x a week or more is not uncommon. I seldom if ever have to reboot the 10P or S23U to fix an issue.
- The 10P Fingerprint sensor will react slowly to a sign in at times. Generally very good but…
- Both the 10P and S23U I found myself not really liking the default launcher. Luckily there are a lot of alternatives. Wish there was something similar on iOS.
- All three devices have OEM bloat. The 10P had the least surprisingly.
I will update this as I find additional items or my views change. IMO all of these devices are top rate and would work well for anyone. When it came to a choice, the S23 Ultra is the winner for me.
Comment as you will.
Remember these are my views and opinions.
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